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Learning Middle School Mathematics Through Student Designed and Constructed Video Games UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-2011 Learning middle school mathematics through student designed and constructed video games Camille M. McCue University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Instructional Media Design Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Repository Citation McCue, Camille M., "Learning middle school mathematics through student designed and constructed video games" (2011). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 919. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/2261383 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LEARNING MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS THROUGH STUDENT DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED VIDEO GAMES by Camille Moody McCue Bachelor of Arts University of Texas, Austin 1988 Master of Arts University of Texas, San Antonio 1993 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum & Instruction Department of Curriculum & Instruction College of Education Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2011 Copyright by Camille Moody McCue 2011 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Camille Moody McCue entitled Learning Middle School Mathematics Through Student Designed and Constructed Video Games be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction Randall Boone, Committee Chair Kent Crippen, Committee Member PG Schrader, Committee Member David James, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College May 2011 ii ABSTRACT Learning Middle School Mathematics Through Student Designed and Constructed Video Games by Camille Moody McCue Dr. Randall Boone, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction University of Nevada, Las Vegas Mathematics achievement is an area in which American precollege students are faltering. Emerging research suggests that making mathematics instruction relevant and applicable in the lives of youth may impact math achievement, especially when it capitalizes on high-interest technologies such as video games. Employing a quasi-experimental and descriptive approach, this study examined the mathematics (i.e., numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and probability) that middle school students employed during their design and construction of video games. First, it examined the mathematics content learned by 19 sixth and seventh graders during their analysis, synthesis, and programming of three video game projects over 7 months. Second, it measured the ability of the student programmers to laterally transfer mathematics content from the technology context of game production to the traditional context of paper-and-pencil tests. Third, it evaluated student attitudes toward mathematics prior to and following video game design and construction. The performance of student programmers was compared with that of a control group of nonprogrammers on measures of transfer and affect. iii Results indicated that middle grade students successfully identified the events defining game play (e.g., motion, collisions, and scoring) of three, simple video game models. They successfully represented video game events in both mathematical and programming forms by writing and coding (a) boundary conditions using inequalities, (b) coordinate locations and identification of coordinate convergence, (c) directional headings, (d) uniform linear motion, (e) variable changes, and (f) probability-based consequences. They were also successful in writing programming code for their own functional video games, with a high percentage of relevant mathematics content incorporated therein. However, while treatment students transferred mathematical knowledge from the technology to the traditional context, it appeared that, without explicit bridging, the transfer was no better than comparison students. Treatment students also demonstrated no significant changes in attitude associated with designing and constructing video games. This study demonstrated that video game design and construction can be a viable – although not significantly different – method, cognitively and affectively, of instructing age-appropriate, standards-based mathematics content. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my extraordinary family – Ian, Carson, and Michael – for their constant love, support, and understanding during this undertaking. Nothing really matters without you all, so I am grateful that you also believed that my efforts in pursuing a doctorate were a valuable investment in the future. Thanks to my parents, Beverly Dempsey-Moody and Dr. Eric Moody, for serving as role models all my life. Thanks to my friends and colleagues who share the same hope and enthusiasm for transforming education into something our youth find worthy and fulfilling. I would also like to express enormous gratitude to my students who enrolled in math enrichment and served as the treatment group. This study simply would not have been possible without your kindness and diligence in helping me execute my research. And thanks to my outstanding dissertation committee, Dr. Randy Boone, Dr. Kent Crippen, Dr. PG Schrader, and Dr. Dave James, for your advice, guidance, and encouragement over the many years it has taken to bring this to fruition. v Dedicated with love to my sons, Carson McCue and Ian McCue. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................. v DEDICATION.....................................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................xiv LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................xvi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 Background..................................................................................................................... 1 Video Games............................................................................................................. 1 Video Games and Mathematics ................................................................................ 3 Youth-Oriented Programming Environments........................................................... 4 Selection of Programming Projects .......................................................................... 5 Attitudes Toward Mathematics................................................................................. 6 Conceptual Underpinnings for the Study........................................................................ 6 Recognizing Mathematics Inherent in the Design of Video Games......................... 7 Learning Complex Tasks.......................................................................................... 9 Lateral Transfer of Mathematics............................................................................. 10 Attitudes Toward Math and the Role of Attitude in Achievement in Mathematics........................................................................................................ 12 Statement of the Problem.............................................................................................. 13 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 15 Research Questions................................................................................................. 15 The mathematics of video game design and construction ................................ 15 The transfer of mathematics ability .................................................................. 16 Attitudes toward mathematics .......................................................................... 16 Hypotheses ............................................................................................................. 16 Hypothesis regarding the mathematics of video game design and construction .................................................................................... 16 Hypothesis regarding the transfer of mathematics ability ................................ 17 Hypothesis regarding
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